The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

Sneaky

"So, where do you wanna go next, boy?"

"Stop calling me boy," the boy said angrily. "I do have a name, you know."

"Oh, well I apologize for not knowing the name of the great Empire's crown prince." I rolled my eyes.

I mean, who does this kid think he is to lie about such things? If he told these claims to other less kinder people, he would have his head cut off for his insolence, regardless of his age... or sanity.

"Well, if you aren't telling, then we can go to the Dome-" I started.

"No! I told told you, didn't I?"

I rolled my eyes again. "So, come on. Tell me what you want to see."

"... The sunset," he mumbled.

My brows furrowed. "The sunset? Of all things..."

Oh, but who was I to refuse? Anyway, I also haven't gone to the edge of the Isle yet. I did want to see how high up we really were. It was kind of hard to observe these things when on top of a flying drakon.

My only problem to his suggestion was that sunset was still a while away, and I really had to go back for lunch...

"Can you come with me to my house for a bit? I have to tell Regina about our plans," I uttered in defeat.

"Sure!" he said energetically, marching on to a random direction.

"Ummm... It's the other way," I said, keeping in both my laughter and my annoyance.

After an uneventful travel back to the Flower House, where I had to talk the boy out of buying a winged tigress and where I had to apologize profusely to a glass artisan after the boy 'accidentally' nudged the artisan while he was blowing hot glass from his pipe...

Well, anyway, we were practically unharmed by the time we arrived at the the magician's doorstep. That is to say, we were intact... until now.

The door busted open at the next moment, as though someone was eagerly waiting for our arrival at the other side. Instead, I was faced with the demonic face of my friend, the Second Magician of Elrock.

"Hi Regina," I muttered weakly. "The day surely is nice. The winds are cool and the temperature is just right for a long, long walk."

"... Is that all?" the woman asked monotonously. I glimpsed at the edge of my vision how the boy slowly backed away from the demon who had me in her grasp.

"Uh- Well..." I stuttered in fear. "Umm... There was this glass artisan? And another o-one of those swords that could turn into snakes..."

"Yes?" Regina asked with the kindest smile.

I knew I was dead, and couldn't get out of this with my usual excuses.

"I'm sorry I'm late..." I managed, my head bowed low.

I felt a great surge of power in front of me, and I wondered if this would be my last day in this world... when I heard a high pitched whimper from behind me.

The boy!

Ah, the greatest excuse I could possibly have!

"R-Regina!" I called out, bravely, or quite stupidly, clutching at her robes. "You see, I had to help a poor, young soul! This boy-"

But when I looked behind me, he was already gone. Dust was settling from his wake.

'That bastard!' I screamed at him with my thoughts. 'That little Sneak!'

I was about to cry myself into submission when I heard Regina's voice from above my hunched out, depressed form.

"You mean this boy?" she asked, and when I looked up, I saw the boy dangling from the ground from the back of his robes, like a poor whelp being caught by its mother after it had wandered off from the pack. "I sensed him near you a moment ago, but I didn't know you were friends."